Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40310096›Full record

ArticleChildren (Basel, Switzerland)2025

Early-Onset Inherited Metabolic Diseases: When Clinical Symptoms Precede Newborn Screening-Insights from Emilia-Romagna (Italy).

Giulia Montanari, Egidio Candela, Federico Baronio, Vittorio Ferrari, Giacomo Biasucci, Marcello Lanari, Rita Ortolano

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Children (Basel, Switzerland), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. Review
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Giulia MontanariSpecialty School of Pediatrics, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy.
Egidio CandelaPediatric Unit, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-4573-9314
Federico BaronioPediatric Unit, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-3470-6880
Vittorio FerrariSpecialty School of Pediatrics, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-6795-7347
Giacomo BiasucciPediatrics and Neonatology Unit, Guglielmo da Saliceto Hospital, 29121 Piacenza, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-7441-9248
Marcello LanariPediatric Unit, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy.
Rita OrtolanoPediatric Unit, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-8218-1463

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundExpanded Newborn Screening (ENS) allows the early identification of many inherited metabolic diseases (IMDs) for which timely treatment can modify the natural history. For most IMDs, diagnosis by ENS is pre-clinical. However, clinical symptoms may emerge for certain conditions before screening results become available.

methodsWe describe six cases of patients with early-onset IMDs born between 2013 and 2023, who were admitted or transferred to Sant'Orsola University Hospital in Bologna (Italy).

resultsOver the study period, 379,013 newborns underwent ENS in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna. Excluding cases of congenital hypothyroidism, pre-clinical diagnoses from ENS were 410. In addition, six cases of IMD presented with early-onset clinical symptomatology, an antecedent to the outcome of newborn screening (incidence over 11 years of 1.58 cases per 100,000 infants). Among these patients, three were diagnosed with Urea Cycle Disorders (UCDs)-two with Citrullinemia type I (CIT1) and one with Argininosuccinic Acidemia (ASA); two were diagnosed with Methylmalonic Acidemia (MMA); and one was found to have Medium-Chain Acyl-CoA Dehydrogenase Deficiency (MCADD).

conclusionsOur 11-year experience with ENS has shown that clinical onset can occur between the second and fourth day of life, though rare. Even if dried blood spot (DBS) collection was performed 24-48 h after birth, the time required for sample transportation and processing would still delay result availability, making early intervention unlikely. Therefore, our experience supports performing ENS at 48-72 h, as currently implemented in Italy, while also highlighting the advantages and limitations of earlier screening.

Indexed as

Argininosuccinic AcidemiaCitrullinemia Type Iearly-onset metabolic disordersexpanded newborn screeningfatty acid oxidation disordersmedium-chain Acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiencymethylmalonic acidemiaorganic acidemiastiming of screeningurea cycle disorders

Identifiers

PMID40310096
PMCPMC12025479

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.